one for sorrow...

as i have a love of all things magpie...this new print from new-north-press is right up my alley...spotted via design sponge.  i am finding the urge to buy it very hard to resist...but at £100 a pop...and having just purchased a piece of art for nearly the same price (see below)...i really MUST RESIST!

sister of perpetual devotion...and naughtiness

whilst up in the Cotswolds trawling through charity and antique shops  i purchased this fabulous oil painting (1878)....rather looks like Jo in her fancy dress outfit doesn't it...the same look of devotion...or is that something else?! 

it now has pride of place above my bed...much to the consternation of my catholic friends!

sunny glasgow

straight after my trip to the Cotswolds i was off up to Scotland for a wedding weekend with Noreen.  thankfully the weather in Glasgow was brilliant sunshine.  we had a fantastic time - shopping, fine dining, catching up with friends old and new and the wedding was fab.

Janet and Brynly looked fantastic - Brynly wore a Cornish kilt (and all the tables were cornish towns - i was delighted to be sat at my birthplace, Redruth!).  Janet had asked me to knit a bride and groom chick/cock and i was happy to oblige!

the reception was at the luxurious Mar Hall in stunning surroundings.  we were supposed to stay the night there but got bumped into the equally luxurious 5-star blythswood square in central Glasgow - so we weren't too unhappy. 

the final day we went to the West End for a quick bite and then off to the airport and a flight back to London...just in time for the Notting Hill Carnival madness and mayhem...

(some of the above photos courtesy of Noreen Meehan)

big brother mania

whilest down in the cotswolds we watched the final of this year's big brother...Jo and I having been avid fans for the past 10 (11 years) shows! we did panic slightly when the powercut happened but thankfully it was all fixed in time.  we were all jollied up from our fancy dress birthday party and enjoyed every minute...especially with Josie winning (well deserved)...tho i was amazed that Dave the monk was 2nd...can't believe he was in it so long!

we had been lucky enough to go to the live eviction the previous week...courtesy of Jo's friend Tammy who managed to wangle us a VIP invite via a friend who works on the show.  we had an absolute riot - tho got into trouble as we went mising (ie for a drink and a fag round the back of the bar) and caused a "security situation"...i guess they were worried we'd jump the wall and end up in the HOUSE! 

we had a birdseye view of the four evictions (Steve, Corine, Sam Pepper and John James) and had a giggle with the security personnel.  i decided to re-introduce "Gull Girl" and wear my seagull hat - so we could be spotted on the telly - but as it turned out we were next to the paps and therefore not filmed...shame...or not probably! 

just a few more weeks and it will all be over as the final Ultimate Big Brother competition is currently playing out for the winner of all winners to be crowned.  whatever will i do with myself next summer...for all its faults (and there have been many, i know)...its been an interesting and entertaining experiment in reality tv!

a week in the cotswolds

just back from house-sitting in the Cotswolds.  friend's were away to Italy for a few days and needed someone to look after their newly arrived puppies so myself, Jo and her two delicious offspring Zoe and Zaki, volunteered with gusto.

the puppies were a delight and we had a blast...despite the torrential downpours...which at one point caused a powercut.  the weather didn't stop us making the most of our holiday though and we even went swimming in the rain at the local outdoor Lido.

as we so rarely get to spend time together we decided it would be fun to have a birthday party...for all of us...and proceeded to make it fancy dress - with hilarious results!  we had piles of pressies, a pinata in the garden, games and forfeits (some particularly disgusting...like eating vomit and bogey flavoured jellybeans and licking dog bones...brilliant!).

it really was a great deal of fun and my only wish is that we could have stayed longer...and the sun had shone!

amish scooter

i LOVE these Amish-made scooter-bike hybrids from the USA...via here....soooo want an orange one!

colour me...

probably the best dress in the world...very cool...from here

outdoor cinema

summer always brings great outdoor film screenings.  so far this year i've been to see Manhattan and Black Narcissus at somerset house and stopped off at the pop up cinema under the Westway to catch Orphee.

in a couple of weeks time it will be Raiders of the Lost Ark at local Roundwood Park courtesy of the lexi - the programme also includes Mama Mia (in Roundwood Park) and Casablanca (in Queens Park) 

also coming up in September/October are FREE FILMS at the scoop on the river by City Hall - films showing include: Up in the Air, The Kite Runner, Bourne Ultimatum, The Hurt Locker, North by Northwest, Pretty Woman, Invictus, Up and Dirty Dancing

some clever people over east london have also gone and converted a derelict petrol station into  the cineroleum - tickets on sale on 2nd September for: Delicatessen, Badlands, Metropolis and The Third Man in the following week - aaah sometimes I LOVE LONDON!

cosmic knitting

awesome...via el cosmico

the box

new Simon's Cat film....i LOOOOOVE these!

macguyver mirror

cooool...if a little dangerous!  seen here via here

church street hotel

visitors from overseas are always asking me about places to stay in London that look interesting and aren't too pricey.  i've just come across this place in camberwell, south London and it looks just the ticket with its crazy mexican vibe...arriba!